The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Vernonia plant of hybrid origin and will be referred to hereinafter by its cultivar name, ‘Summer's Swan Song’. The new cultivar of Vernonia is a hardy herbaceous perennial grown for landscape use.
The new invention arose from an ongoing breeding program by the Inventor in Glencoe, Ill. The objectives of the breeding program are to develop improved cultivars of interspecific hybrids of Vernonia with novel ornamental traits such as overall plant height, disease resistance, hardiness in U.S.D.A. Zone 5 and in ground cultural adaptability.
‘Summer's Swan Song’ was derived from a cross made under controlled conditions in September of 2010 between unnamed unpatented plants of Vernonia lettermannii as the female seed parent and Vernonia angustifolia ‘Plum Peachy’ (not patented) as the male pollen parent. ‘Summer's Swan Song’ was selected in September of 2012 as a single unique plant amongst the resulting seedlings.
Asexual propagation of the new cultivar was first accomplished by shoot tip cuttings by the Inventor in June 2013 in Glencoe, Ill. Asexual propagation by shoot tip cuttings has determined that the characteristics of this cultivar are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.